Good Afternoon All,
As you may have heard, Logan Lake has rescinded the evacuation order to an evacuation alert, which means Logan Laker's can return home as of noon today. 97D Logan Lake to Kamloops is now open, as well as the Logan Lake to Ashcroft route. 97C to Merritt through Mamett Lake remains CLOSED as well as the northern route to Savona. Please see attached memo(pictures) from Logan Lake in regards to the return. A huge thank you to everyone involved in the fight to keep our town safe. This means a couple things. Everyone is given 24 hours leeway (with pay) to return to work. You can still take "leave without pay" if your under alert. If there are concerns, talk to your supervisor. More to follow. In Solidarity, Kyle Wolff Evening Members, Got word that we are back to normal as of tomorrow morning. Supervisors are phoning employees now to give them that direction, but if you were supposed to report to work based on your shift schedule tomorrow, you can head to work. Short answer, report to your regular shift at your regular time. This is for ALL employees. Below is the PDF from the mine manager, Adam Foulstone. Couple clarifications. If your coming in from Kamloops, take the Ashcroft route. Hopefully the 97D route will be open in short order, but for now this is your route. Be reminded this is about a 1h40m drive, with a steep route in and out of Ashcroft. Merritt can still take 97C through the Mamet Lake road, but you will probably a letter from your boss or some form of identification that you work at HVC. In Solidarity, Kyle Wolff
To the Membership,
Just got off the phone with management. The District of Logan Lake has (or will be shortly) rescinding the evacuation order at Highland Valley Copper, downgrading it to an alert status. The mine still needs to get the official notice from the TNRD to the same effect, so that means for the time being we are still on Order at HVC. It’s expected that in the coming hours, or as early as tomorrow morning, that the Order will be fully rescinded to an alert. This means a couple things. If everything goes according to plan, we should be trying to start up tomorrow morning. Employees scheduled to work Wednesday should be ready to work in the morning, so when we get the go ahead, we can transmit that information out and we can travel to site. 97D is open (Logan Lake to Kamloops) to essential workers, but there will be some logistics getting people through the road closures. This may mean an 8/9/10 am type start up, depending on when the official notice is cleared. You will have to travel up once notice is given. Please wait for a phone call or message from your supervisor. Road closures and permits are still a real issue, as well as who is expected to be in tonight. For those who were called this morning to report to work this evening, check with your supervisor if your still needed/on the list. You will be paid 4 hours call out (from what I am told). For those employees on evacuation order, evacuated from your homes, you are still not expected at work. Make sure you check in with your supervisor to be put on “leave with pay”. For those employees who are under evacuation alert, you can take “unpaid leave” if you believe that you may be needed in your area based on fire activity. This goes the same for employees when Logan Lake goes from Order to Alert (I do not have a timeline or any information on this). Let me know if there are any questions, In Solidarity, Kyle Wolff Afternoon Members,
Thanks for the patients. Trying to get clarification on lots of little things. I can confirm:
Layman’s terms. Seniority rules. There are currently only approx. 8 employees who are currently attending the care and maintenance schedule in each working area. This means that at some point Monday, senior employees will be called to be asked what shift they would like to “temporarily” shifted too. Starting with the remainder of A crew, then extending to B, C, then D, you will be asked if you would like to attend. You are able to say NO but you will not be asked for another shift. This will continue until the shifts are filled. They are also looking at Art 12.10, less than 48 hours notice 1.5x hour payment for pretty much anyone that was affected. This will take time to sort out. The Company has agreed to look at the current employee list and make employees “whole” who should have been asked or were missed for some reason based on senority. Once again, please be patient as we work through the lists. This is the first time in 50 years that we have put the plant into care and maintenance. Reminder, as soon as we get back to ALERT status, we are going into full production and everyone will be phoned to return to work ASAP. Anyone that isn’t working will NOT be paid, unless your under order from your primary residence. The Company has agreed to open up all alternative forms of payment. (Please be patient as they work through the details) This means you can access all Banked Time, Banked Vacation, Banked Special Vacation, Banked Emergency Vacation or Floaters. Under special circumstances, you can apply for earned vacation as well. We are working on “work alternatives” like training or programs that we can catch up on. More information to follow, but there might be an opportunity to catch up on the thousands of hours of backlogged training programs. Tight time lines, but we will try. I know this isn’t the best, or only, or any other option, but this is what’s listed in the CBA. Let’s hope that the fire continues to progress pass Logan Lake and those homes stay protected, and we get back to work without another issue in short order. Road Updates Ashcroft route to the mine stays open at this time, but Cherry Creek and the Southside of Tobiano has gone under alert/order. Highway 1 is open at this time, but that may change. Please check DriveBC for updates. Merritt to Spences Bridge, Highway 8, is closed due to fire. There are alerts/orders in the Siska/Sunshine Valley west of Merritt. Merritt – Mamett Lake road continues to be closed for all non-essential traffic. There is a road block approx. 10 km from the 4 way junction that you will need a pass from the mine to access. Paladin security will meet you there if you are confirmed to work. There is a road block just outside the mine entrance leading to Logan Lake. Travel is restricted through this area. You can head home this way from work. Fire Updates Logan Lake – hug a firefighter. Over 140 members of the fire fighting service have been on scene with over 70 vehicles, stations as far as Cranbrook and beyond have been fighting to protect the village. As of this morning, there were no structure losses. Things are changing, but if you haven’t seen this information, it’s interesting. Fire Map - NASA | LANCE | FIRMS. It’s about as close as you can get to real time fire information. Subscribe to the “Voyent Alert” app for immediate fire information based on your residence. Caution, it’s loud. Volunteer Opportunities I’ve reached out to the Kamloops Food Bank and the Kamloops United Way to see if there is anything our members can help with at this time. I know the food bank is really in need of supplies. I’ll have an update on this tomorrow after a chat with those groups. Membership Meetings We will continue with the meetings on Tuesday as normal. Meeting information will be posted tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.. a little preoccupied. I think that’s all for now. I need a rum.. lol In Solidarity, Kyle Wolff Evacuation Order for Highland Valley Copper
To all members, The Mine will be put under Evacuation Order in very short order. This means that the Mine will be going into Care and Maintenance. This also means that things have changed. If you were expecting to go to work, please double check with supervision to know if you are on the list. There is extremely limited staffing for the next 72 hours. The Mine has been shutting down all lines and production. This will continue until the risk of fire has passed, or the order has been lifted. The road to Mammet Lake to Merritt will most likely be shut down in short order. This leaves the only access to HVC through Ashcroft. Please contact your supervisor to know if you are required for work. If you were going to work, you will be compensated for 4 hours pay. We will have further updates in the morning regards how wages are going to be covered, but it will most likely land on EI or equivalent. Please take a moment to appreciate the Fire Fighters, Volunteers and Staff that are working hard to protect Logan Lake. Our wished go out to the community. As always, reach out for help if there is need in regards to anything. In solidarity, Kyle Wolff Good Morning Members,
It’s been a busy couple of days, but through it all, I do have some updates. Trying to combine all the information that I currently know. Travel routes through Tunkwa Lake Road from Savona and 97D from Kamloops to Logan Lake remain closed. Travel routes up Mammet Lake road and from Ashcroft remain open for employee of the mine with valid HVC documentation. There is a printable letter attached to an earlier post, or any other HVC document should work. Please be respectful of check points or workers on the road, they are just doing their job. If you are traveling these routes, we remind employees to travel with the essential safety gear, as conditions can change in a moment. Have a full tank of fuel, water, fire extinguisher, food, first aid kit and other relevant medication or puffers. It may be worth having extra masks if smoke increases or visibility decreases. The Ashcroft route is STEEP. If you haven’t driven it before, take your time. There have been multiple crashes and fatalities due to speed over the years. Sharp corners and a long downhill. There is also multiple “dead” zones with no cell coverage. Take your time. The extended drive time will lead to increased fatigue. If your tired, pull over, phone your supervisor and rest until your capable of continuing. DO NOT DRIVE TIRED. It’s not worth crashing over. If your too tired to get to work, phone your supervisor and explain your situation. If your fatigued, you are “unfit for duty”. Extreme fatigue can be related to a blood alcohol level of .05 or .08. If this means that you will be late, explain that fact. If you to tired to continue working, speak to your supervisor. Fatigue management states that the Company must provide you an adequate break, to see if you recover. If that doesn’t work, you may have to leave early or even receive a ride from HVC if your fatigue is to significant. If you need to leave early, please work with your supervisor to do so. The reason I bring this up is the response to the question’s regarding the extended travel time.
Supervisors will also do their best to assist in the management of employee’s fatigue. I don’t believe this is the best response to a multi-million dollar operation, so I believe everyone has to manage their own fatigue. Protect your own health, and your families. For the rest of the question’s posed to the Company, most can be explained with a simple NO. The evac order for Logan Lake continues. Good news is multiple (upwards of 50) firetrucks have been sent to Logan Lake to help protect house’s and homes. I believe that even New Gold has sent a tanker up to help. No assets from HVC have been sent to date. We have offered our services to the BCWS through our ERT team members and any other means. Chad Lindsay took some vacation time to help fight the fires, and many of our ERT/firefighters are on the ground already helping protect our communities. Thank you for all your efforts. We have about 30% of our employee base in Logan Lake, as well as a significant amount of our retirees. If you know anyone that is looking for a space to stay, we have had multiple offers of land, houses and trailers. People are scattered all over BC, Kamloops, Merritt, Cache Creek, and the lower mainland. If you need something, please reach out. My number is (250)-851-1278, or email [email protected]. I’ll keep trying to update as information comes in, but for now, business as usual. Be safe, manage your fatigue, remember to mask up in bad smoke conditions and limit exposure and work times to a minimum. In Solidarity, Kyle Wolff To the Membership,
Lornex Wall Movement - Update
A brief summary of the current slope instability in the Lornex pit. We are currently mining the East wall of the Lornex pit (Phase 3). The Lornex pit is composed of a relatively fractured and soft rock mass and certain slope sectors are susceptible to toppling, which is a mode of geomechanical instability. The NE sector of the Lornex pit has been subject to toppling-induced ground deformation for about 4 benches now. Pit walls subject to toppling can exhibit large-scale deformations as a result of mining; however, the good thing is that this deformations tend to slow down when mining activities cease. THVC uses a complex system of ground monitoring instrumentation allowing us to monitor pit slopes in real time. At about 3AM, Saturday, Jan 20th, the Pit Control operator received a series of alarm messages from the Slope Stability Radar (SSR) and Slope Monitoring Prisms (SMPs), indicating that the rates of deformation exceeded the thresholds established for this zone. In these circumstances, the SOP requests that the Pit Supervisor contacts the Geotechnical Engineer to analyze/confirm the situation. This call was placed at ~3:15AM. After a review of the monitoring data combined with visual observations at the shovel, and given the fact that it was dark the decision was made to evacuate the pit. The evacuation order was given around 3:30AM that same day. All personnel was safely removed from the Lornex pit within about 45min. The oncoming day-shift crew was briefed on the situation at shift change the morning of Saturday Jan 20th. A detailed visual inspection by the pit General Supervisor and the Geotechnical Engineer on duty was performed at the crack of daylight yesterday morning, shortly followed by communications to the Superintendents of Mine Operations and Mine Engineering. A work team was rapidly mobilized by late morning/lunch time. The area was surveyed by drone and laser scanner. The Union Health and Safety Chair was contacted in mid-afternoon Saturday, as well as the Ministry via voice mail and email. Geotechnical monitoring continued during the day. A notice of Geotechnical Incident will be prepared and sent to MEM tomorrow. We will also start working on various designs to allow mining activities to safely resume in the Lornex pit. At this point, it is likely that an off-loading cut in the area of #4 overhaul site will be required. Currently all crews working in the area have being given a presentation as to what is being done to remedy the current situation and the pit remains closed to pit production except for drilling being done outside of the affected area by access of the West ramp. After the ramp had been repaired and as the movement has settled to 40 mm per day production will resume. Phase 2 is to do a cut back in the affected area to remove 5 million tonnes of rock. This option is currently in the design process. We would remind our members to always be vigilant when in all pits, to watch and be aware of their surroundings and report any failures or movement to their supervisors. In Solidarity, DAVE COURT OHSC UNION CHAIR DIRECT PHONE 250-523-3533 HOME 250-320-3179 To the Membership,
Well, this wasn’t unexpected. The relationship with the current HVC management has been deteriorating since the first day they stepped on the mine site, and has continued to deteriorate past the end of bargaining. Constant bullying, harassment, intimidation and overall disregard of the mental health of the all the employees that work here has led us to this spot. It could have been anything that set the powder keg off, but the underlying issue is the lack of respect for the people who work for them. It’s not like we haven’t tried. We have put tremendous effort into rebuilding the relationship, making them aware of all the issues, even launching a joint mental health survey, but when there is a complete disregard for the collective agreement, the rights of workers and the accepted attitude of management, we were not successful. Even Teck’s ivory tower got involved, but it seems they cannot control their own leadership, or they condone their actions, as nothing has changed. To the contrary, it has gotten worse. Recently, we had several health and safety incidents which were documented to be related to the mental health of the mine site, which the Company was aware of, and choose not to address. Our fear is that more employees could be injured or worse, as the relationship continues to deteriorate. Our workplace is poisonous, and continues to spiral out of control. At some point, we stopped mining, and started hurting people. As such, I have been in steady communication with USW leadership, and am working on a plan to address these and other issues. As that plan is still in the works, I’m asking individuals to continue to report any health, safety, bullying, harassment or otherwise unacceptable behavior by staff to the nearest shop steward. We cannot continue to condone the actions of management, and it’s time that they are addressed in the right forum. Please try to focus on your tasks, and watch out for each other. In solidarity, Kyle Wolff USW 7619 President USW Call to Action
We have just been alerted that the the Village of Cache Creek, Ashcroft and surrounding areas has been evacuated, after a wildfire has quickly gained ground this afternoon. http://cfjctoday.com/article/578739/entire-village-cache-creek-under-evacuation-order Facebook has activated a "safety check" - https://www.facebook.com/safetycheck/the-wildfire-in-cache-creek-british-columbia-jul07-2017/home/ Residents have been asked to register an emergency services center set up at the McArthur Island Sports Lounge in Kamloops. This means that Steelworkers Members, their families, friends and neighbors are going to be needing our help. I'm not sure who is directly affected or what the next steps are, but we need info. If you have been evacuated, please contact me directly as I will be putting a list together. If you are able to take in a family, a person or have a spare bed or room for a trailer, please also contact me as I would love to see Steelworkers stand up and help their coworkers and communities in this time of need. As community member's have animals, like horses, we will be needing help there as well. I've already been contacted by several people who have opened their homes to anyone needing assistance. If you need a place to stay, please contact me and I will try to make a connection that suits your needs. I have a room and our trailer open for anyone who needs a place to stay. Please pass this information on as this develops. In solidarity Kyle Wolff 1-250-851-1278 [email protected] |
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October 2018
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